Internal audit is grappling with the whirlwind of technological change—everything from blockchain to artificial intelligence to digital transformation. What use is internal audit in an age of such revolution? It turns out, a lot.

Equifax became the poster child for cybersecurity disasters when hackers breached its systems in 2017, exposing the Social Security numbers of 146 million people, about half the U.S. population. Not only did its CEO and senior executives lose their jobs, the company paid a settlement with multiple agencies as high as $700 million.

Kison Patel, the CEO of software company DealRoom, remembers working for a private equity firm trying to do a deal not long ago. His firm bombarded the target company with requests for information — including repetitive requests for the same information, often in Excel spreadsheets. Eventually, the seller got fed up and walked away.